OLA — Two Rivers Lady Gators head coach Lyn Alexander knows a little luck, skill and a lot of hard work can take you places.

Eight unbeaten games into the 2015-16 season, Two Rivers is seeing the result of all three.

The Lady Gators will compete in an out-of-state invite-only tournament this week after winning their own Two Rivers Invite on Saturday and staying perfect at eight consecutive wins.

Two Rivers was already planning to build on the success they had last year, but the addition of two move-ins have the team focused on a goal larger than “building tradition.” They want to win a state championship.

The Lady Gators finished third in their conference with a 17-9 record but were upset in the first round of the district tournament.

Savannah Hodges, who played for Danville last year and Tia Gadberry, who played for Dardanelle, both live within the Two Rivers school district and decided to spend their senior seasons as Lady Gators.

“They came to me in the summer and said they were interested in our program,” Alexander said. “They liked what we were doing. They told me that they wanted to work. They said, ‘if you’ll work us, we’ll bring the effort.’”

Alexander said they’d done just that. Two Rivers played 84 games over the summer in various camps and tournaments. In the regular season they’ve downed Dardanelle, Bigelow, Perryville, Mountain Pine, Western Yell County, Magazine and Bergman.

“We had a strong summer,” Alexander said. “And it’s paying off. There’s not a selfish person on our team. They want to win. They don’t care who gets points. They want to win the whole thing this year, and we don’t think that’s unrealistic.”

Alexander said another weapon is 6-1 junior Grace Coates.

“I think she might be the best junior in the state,” Alexander said.

Coates averages 21 points and nine rebounds per game.

“She’s my go-to in the post when we need a big basket,” he said. “Our ability to shoot the ball, and her ability to score inside when we need it is what makes us so effective. If you play me in man coverage, I have the guards that can handle it. If you’re going to play me zone, I have the shooters that can shoot it.” Another starter, Brooklyn Lancaster, scored seven 3-pointers against Mountain Pine, but Alexander said the strength of the team extends beyond the players on the court.

“From my top player to my 14th player, they all work hard,” he said. “They know their purpose. If they know they aren’t going to get to play, they know that their job is still important. They’ve bought in. They know that their job is to get those other girls ready to play.”

The Lady Gators will play in the O Town Showdown in Oxford, Miss. at 4 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday. Alexander said it was a great opportunity for the team to get a “state tournament-like” experience before the actual state tournament.

“You have to go to another town, stay in a hotel, practice in a facility that you aren’t used to and play teams that you aren’t used to,” he said.

The Gators will play against the biggest public school and the biggest private school in Mississippi during the tournament.

“It should be a really good test for us,” he said. “And very good experience.”